Nothin' like waitin' tables all summer

This summer I worked as a server at a restaurant in Cape Girardeau. Although initially a little bummed because waitressing didn't seem as adventurous as my friends' summer plans, I nevercould have anticipated the abundant and deepening grace, blessings and love God gave me through the job. The lessons, patience and love to be learned in a restaurant are many, and I'm so grateful for the things God taught me through the people I served and my co-workers.

One of the transformations God gave me was learning to live out of Jesus' love, to ask for patience and God's love for his people. There were times it was clear I was not going to be capable of loving -- or even being polite -- to a demanding customer or co-worker out of my own love, and that I needed to see these people through God's heart. I realized one day while bitterly thinking about rude customers that happy, fulfilled people usually are not rude; if someone is rude, they need extra compassion and love. God pours his grace into me when I am rude and demanding, and I want to love like that, too.

From my wonderful co-workers, I learned how to let people help me and how to work as a team. During busy times, especially when I was new, I couldn't always do everything for myself and learned how to accept the help others offered me. I learned how to offer help when others were busy, too.

The biggest lesson my co-workers taught me, though, is how to have grace for myself. One of my first Sundays working at the restaurant, I dropped a plateful of strawberry and whipped cream pancakes on the floor, narrowly missing a customer with the toppling plate. The waitress helping me bring out the food just said, "I'll go get something to clean that up" without acting as if it were a big deal. The next time I came to the table, she was on the floor dabbing up the mess, with hardly a trace of the pancakes remaining. Another day I spilled a whole tray of drinks, and glasses crashed to the floor. No one said anything, and the next thing I knew another waitress was sweeping up the shards.

The cooks, too, were forever patient with me when I messed up orders. More than once when little mishaps occurred, I heard my co-workers say, "Everyone messes up." From this I learned I'm going to mess up in life, and it's OK. I can't be perfect; I'm human, not God, and that means I make mistakes.

Maybe these seemed like little moments to the people who helped me, but the grace they taught and gave in those moments meant everything to me.

So, to my co-workers, thanks. You all are awesome people. Also, thanks to the people I served, especially the man who didn't mind that his strawberry pancakes and whipped topping landed on my shoe instead of intact on the table in front of him. I'm forever grateful.

Mia Pohlman is a Perryville, Mo., native studying at Truman State University. She loves performing, God and the color purple -- not necessarily in that order.